Due to the ever-increasing number of channels offered by cable television and satellite networks, an electronic program guide (EPG) has become a common feature of many set top boxes (STBs). Conventional EPGs display schedule information for television programs in a grid-based format. One axis of the EPG typically corresponds to channels or stations, while the other axis corresponds to time slots. Rectangular elements formed within the grid represent specific television programs.
While EPGs have numerous advantages over conventional printed guides (such as TV Guide®), EPGs are still based on the channel/time slot model, which is of diminishing importance today. For example, where a viewer has access to over 500 channels, he or she is not interested in the fact that the latest episode of Friends® is being shown on Channel 498. Rather, the viewer would simply like to know when the program is being broadcast and allow the entertainment system to automatically switch to the appropriate channel.
With the advent of digital video recorders (DVRs), even the concept of broadcast time is becoming irrelevant. Ideally, a viewer would simply like to instruct the entertainment system to record the next episode of Friends®, which the viewer can then watch at a convenient time.
Forcing a viewer to search through a grid consisting, for example, of over 500 rows (corresponding to channels) and possibly thousands of columns (corresponding to time slots) is no longer acceptable. Given the wide variety of entertainment options and the limited amount of time available to individuals for entertainment, any advancement increasing the convenience of an entertainment system would be highly advantageous.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method that overcomes the problems and disadvantages of the prior art. In particular, the system and method should provide convenient access to available programming within an entertainment system without requiring the use of a conventional, grid-based EPG.